Saving Grace
by notsofullbuster
Summary: [On Hiatus] With the death of their elder brother, Kagura and Romeo are under the threat of being next. With his children in danger, Macao Conbolt hires bodyguard Rogue Cheney to protect them. However with Rogue dealing with his own past, can he keep the Mikazuchi-Conbolt children safe? But above all can he keep this job professional? [Modern AU]
1. The Beginning

**Just a Rogue x Kagura angsty AU fic. Other pairings will appear throughout.**

* * *

"C'mon man, you can't sit at home for the rest of your life."

The blinds were pulled up swiftly, the dark haired man squinting at the harsh sunlight what came through the window, his eyes adjusting to the light what was illuminating the apartment.

"Leave me alone, Sting."

The blonde huffed at his friend who sat in the armchair, staring aimlessly ahead of himself. He took in the man's appearance; his face void of any emotion, several week old stubble - borderlining a full on beard - across his jawline making him appear older than he actually was. His raven hair a dishellved mess and eyes what were once a bright ruby colour, now dull with dark cirlcles outlining them. He was dressed in a simple grey t-shirt and dark sweatpants, making Sting wonder how long he had been in them clothes, or even showered for that matter since the last time he had visited his friend.

"No Rogue, I've sat back long enough, letting you handle this all alone and watched as you've slowly destroyed yourself. As your friend I've had enough, I'm not letting you do this anymore." the blonde spoke, his voice filled with determination as his hands clenched into fists at his sides.

Rogue didn't muster up a reply, almost as if he had completely ignored anything his friend had said.

Letting out a sigh, Sting glanced around the apartment, his eyes locking on several empty liqour bottles what littered the coffee table.

 _Yukino is gonna flip if she sees all of these_ , the blonde thought as he picked up the bottles, securing some of them under his arm as he carried all of them to the kitchen, disposing of them.

Walking back to the living room Sting sat on the couch opposite Rogue, "Please, Rogue. It's been four-"

"I know how long it's been." the dark haired man snapped, his voice sharp as he shot his friend a harsh glare.

The blonde nodded as he directed his gaze to the floor, arms resting on his thighs as he leant forward, "It wasn't your fault, Rogue." he spoke after several minutes of silence passed between the two of them.

Rogue stayed silent yet again.

"You shoudn't put the blame on yourself, you couldn't have done-"

"You know nothing." Rogue gritted out, his voice low.

"I know that you did everything in your power to stop what happened." Sting countered.

Rogue shook his head, refusing to let Sting's words comfort him. Standing from his seat he made his way into the kitchen, "I said this once and I'm not saying this again, leave me alone Sting."

"No."

The dark haired mans frustrations were beginning to build at his friends resistance, slamming to door of the fridge shut. With a beer in hand Rouge returned to his previous position of the armchair in the living room.

"I don't think so." Sting huffed, reaching over and snatching the unopened bottle from his friends grasp, throwing it on the couch beside him earning yet another glare.

"What the fuck?"

"I already told you this Rouge, get it through that thick skull of yours! I'm not letting you destroy yourself like this. I'm not going to tell you again! Get up, go take a shower and clean yourself up, we're going to the agency." Sting snapped, his tone clear and loud yet his voice wavered between order and wanting to break down, the sight of his friend tearing him apart on the inside.

"I'm not going." Rogue huffed out, crossing his arms as he slouched in his seat as he averted his gaze away from Sting. He looked like a petulant child who couldn't get what he wanted, rebelling against his parents wishes.

That reaction was the thing what caused something to snap within the blonde, his jaw setting as his hands clenched into fists again, nails digging into the palms. "I don't give a damn what you want, Rogue. If you don't get your ass out of that chair and into the bathroom I'm gonna drag you there and clean you up myself!"

Before Rouge could muster up a reply he was dragged up from his seat by the collar of his shirt, being forcefully pulled down the hallway of his apartment, heading straight to the bathroom. "I wasn't kidding Rogue, don't test my patience." the blonde growled as he dragged his friend across the floor.

The darked hair male struggled against the grip of the blonde, letting his body go limp as he slumped to the floor making himself dead weight. "Dammit Rogue, stop being a stubborn asshole!" Sting gritted out, slowly pulling his friend across the floor.

Unbeknownst to the pair the didn't realise the woman enter the apartment, halting as she stared at the two men - in this moment in time were acting like a pair of children - with wide brown eyes.

"When I told you to help him, I didn't mean drag him around on the floor!" the white haired woman stated as she looked between the two men.

"If he wasn't such a little bitch and actually listened-"

"Insulting him isn't going to get you anywhere, Sting." Yukino sighed, yet her words fell upon deaf ears as the two men began to bicker, slinging insults at one another.

"If you had just listened to me at the start and left we wouldn't be having this problem!" Rouge grunted, pushing the blonde away from him, breaking him free from the mans grasp.

"Asshole."

"Fuckface."

"Guys!" Yukino called out, raising her voice which gained the pairs attention. _These boys will be the death of me_ , she mused. Yukino looked at Sting who let out a sigh, looking defeated. "I tried." he spoke, voice quiet.

Yukino nodded, "I know." she mumbled before turning her attention to the man what was slumped on the floor, taking in his appearance. This wasn't the Rouge she knew, she didn't even recognise the man in front of her, he looked almost hopeless. Taking a few steps she leaned down to her friend, "Oh Rogue..." she sighed, saddened at the sight of the dark haired man.

Rogue's eyes softened at his friends expression, feeling a slight wave of guilt coarse through him, ashamed that his friends were seeing him like this.

"Rogue, please come back. We need you...the agency needs you. Everybody is worried about you, Gajeel is...he just wants his brother back."

Hearing his brothers name softened Rogue's expression altogether, "Gajeel...I...I'm so sorry." he breathed, voice cracking as his eyes welled up. Falling further down onto his knees Rogue cradled his head in his hands, feeling someone's arms wrap around him from behind as he let out silent sobs, his body shaking.

 _What have I become?_

"Please Rogue, _we_ need you back. We need our friend back."

* * *

Macao Conbolt's gaze stayed on his step-daughter as he watched her carefully from the doorway, taking in her form as she retreated back to the chair after retrieving a book from the shelf.

It's the only other place she would be if she wasn't locked away in her room away from everyone.

She had been this way ever since her brother... _oh Simon_.

The man's step-son, the eldest of the Mikazuchi-Conbolt children, had been killed whilst he and his sister were out in the town of Magnolia shopping.

Kagura had been the last one to see her older brother alive and the first to witness him die as he passed away in her embrace, holding his limp body in her arms as she let the tears flow.

Ever since then his daughter had been distant, which was understanable. She was still grieving the loss of her eldest brother, the man who was her best friend, her protector from the harsh world.

Macao never thought he would have to see his children go through this grief again, after the passing of their mother three years ago, who suffered ill health before she parted ways to the afterlife.

It was tough on the family, taking them long to adjust to life without her loving presence there to greet them everyday before they slowly got back on track, only now to lose another family member a few months prior.

Kagura sat in the armchair with a book in hand, however her father knew she hadn't gotten past the first page, lost in her own thoughts.

Her mind constantly replayed that day over and over again; the sound of gunshots ringing through the town square, her brother covering her from harms way only to be caught in the crossfire. His body going limp, slumping to the pavement as the colour slowly drained from his face, his skin going cold to the touch as blood slowly seeped through his clothes, staining them a maroon colour.

Her hand stained in the same colour, trying to preserve her brothers life as she screamed for somebody to phone an ambulance.

The metallic smell of the blood polluting the cool air as she watched her brother's life slowly fade away before her very eyes, tears leaving his eyes as he savoured his last moments with his sister, speaking his last words before taking his last breath.

The sound of sirens could be heard in the distance as she repeated her brother's name breathlessly, tears flowing as she clutched his hand tightly, fearing to let go as she propped his lifeless body against her own.

Feeling a drop of water fall onto the back of her hand, Kagura looked down at the book to see the page stained with tears, mixing with the ink causing some of the words to run. Wiping her cheeks she took a deep breath before turning the page, hoping to get lost in the book and not her thoughts what plagued her mind.

Macao pulled the door to, leaving his daughter alone. "I'm so sorry, Olivia." he sighed, running a hand through his receding hair, leaning against the wall as he hung his head.

"Dad?"

The older man lifted his head to meet the eyes of his son, the youngest Mikazuchi-Conbolt child at the age of sixteen, Romeo.

He was Macao's son from his previous marriage to the boy's mother, who had left due to her husband being more occupied with work than his wife and son.

Her departure had been sudden and out of the blue, leaving Romeo at the care of his father, wanting the man to feel the burden she felt when she was left alone to care for their young son, who constantly asked for his father.

Macao then met Olivia Mikazuchi in the same year, who he would then marry two years later, gaining two step-children in the process who he loved dearly, Simon and Kagura - who were seventeen and fourteen at the time.

Five years of happiness passed before the family was struck with the grief of losing Olivia, only to lose Simon three years after.

"Yes Romeo? What is it?" the man asked his son.

Romeo looked at the doors to the library before looking back at his father, "Is Kagura okay?" he asked, inquiring about his sister, his voice quiet.

Macao was about to reply when they were interrupted by Wakaba Mine - a close family friend and Macao's business partner.

The brown haired man looked between father and son, sending the younger Conbolt a smile before turning towards the elder. "Gildarts has arrived, he's waiting in the office."

Macao sent the man a nod before turning his attention back to his son, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Right now? No, she isn't okay. But she will be okay eventually because you and I are gonna help her through this, she just needs us to respect her time, to support her and be there when she needs us, okay?" he spoke, answering his sons question.

Romeo nodded, a sigh leaving his lips as his eyes cast downwards to the floor, "I just wish she wouldn't go through this alone..."

"We all grieve in different ways kiddo, she'll come around eventually. Just give her time." Wakaba spoke, sending the teenager a comforting smile.

The older Conbolt nodded in agreement at his friends words, also knowing how much Romeo cared for his older sister and wanted nothing more than to comfort her and protect her, just like Simon had done before him. But he knew it would take time - not just for Kagura - but for the three of them to get back to how they once were.

"I know son. If you'll excuse me..."

"Right, of course. Sorry for delaying you from your meeting. My aplologies Wakaba, I'll see you later." the dark haired teen shot them both a small salute before heading down the hall to his bedroom.

"So what did he find out?" Macao asked - referring to the private investigator who was waiting for the men in the office - as he and Wakaba walked through the house, making their way to where Gildarts was waiting.

"I don't know, as soon as he arrived, I came to get you immediately." his business partner shrugged his shoulders lighting up a cigarette as they entered the office.

"Gildarts!" Macao greeted the copper haired man who stood in the corner of the office, back resting against the wall.

"Macao, it's been a long time old friend," the tall man smiled, walking across the room to hug the dark haired man. "You too, Wakaba." he added, giving the brown haired man the same treatment.

Macao's smile left him, his demeanour falling into one more serious, "I'm guessing you found something out?"

Gildarts nodded, "I investigated more into the shooting, as you asked."

"And?"

"It seems that Simon's death was no unfortunate accident."

Macao's hands tightened into fists upon hearing the investigators words, "Are you saying..?"

"Yes, he was assasinated," Gildarts nodded. "I'm so sorry, Macao."

A hand came to rest on his shoulder in comfort, he guessed it was Wakaba as Macao bowed his head, his eyes closing as his mind wrapped around the information.

 _Somebody wanted my son dead? What about Romeo and Kagura? Are they at harm?_ he thought.

"Wait didn't something similar happen a few days ago?" Wakaba asked, shooting Gildarts a questioning look.

Gildarts noddeed, knowing what his friend was referring to. "Jude Heartfilia's daughter was targeted recently, attacked whilst she was on an outing. They have yet to identify the person, and they refuse to state their name or who sent them. The only thing they confirmed to was that they were sent to kill Lucy, however her guard Loke managed to take down the person and keep the girl from harm."

Macao let out a sigh as Wakaba shook his head in shock, "Poor girl."

They both knew Jude and his daughter Lucy, often seeing them at the country club they were members at. Macao knew that Kagura and Lucy were quite good friends, as was he and Jude.

"Girl was shook up, don't blame her." the red head huffed.

The two men nodded in agreement, any incident such as that was bound to shake anybody up.

Silence filled the room, Macao noticing the look on the investigators face, knowing that he was caught up in his own thoughts. "What are you thinking?"

"I feel...this isn't going to end here. With Lucy targeted and the loss of Simon, I fear for Kagura and Romeo's safety."

Macao's sighed, his suspicions answered. Neither of his children were safe, not anymore.

"So what do you think I should do?"

"I have a suggestion..."


	2. Welcome to the DEA

**Just wanted to write a quick thank you to the guest and halfBLIND-coconuts for the reviews on the first chapter, they were appreciated. It was a real confidence booster to crank this chapter out as soon as. Enjoy!**

* * *

They exited the elevator hand in hand, instantly being rushed at by a hyperactive pink haired male, who was bouncing up and down on his feet as he trailed behind the couple.

"Hey! Laxus! Laxus! Hey, Laxus!"

The blonde growled at the annoying voice what seemed to be following him, mumbling some profanities only to be slapped on the arm by his partner, her violet eyes shooting him a pointed look causing him to mumble even more. The couple stopped, the blonde turning to the man, or _'idiot number one'_ as he had nicknamed him.

"Yes Natsu, what is it?"

"I'm all fired up! Got any jobs for me?", the young man asked his boss. "Oh hi, Cana!"

"Good morning, Natsu." the brunette shot the pink haired male a smile and a wave before letting go of her husbands hand. "I'm gonna go on ahead, I have a ton of paperwork to finish." she huffed, raising on her heeled feet to place a kiss on the blondes cheek before trailing off down to her office.

Staring ahead Laxus watched his wife walk away, admiring how great her ass looked in that black pencil skirt, Cana turning her head to shoot him a wink before disappearing behind her door bringing a smirk to the blondes often stoic face.

"Laaaaaaaxus!"

Smirk fading into a glare, Laxus turned to the man, who was donned in a simple black suit and white shirt, that damn checked scarf - which he always wore with _everything_ \- wrapped around his neck. "I just got here and you're already up my ass, fuck off." he grunted out before walking off to his office.

Just before he got to the peaceful retreat called his office Laxus was stopped by Freed, his personal assistant shouting him from his desk, who stood and rushed to his boss' side.

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath the tall blonde gave himself a mental pep talk.

 _Just breath in and out, take deep breath. For the love of Mavis, why did I even agree to taking over for the old man a year early? It's only been a month and these assholes are already driving me to an early grave. Now I know how gramps felt._

"Yes, Freed. What is it?" Laxus gritted out, attempting to feign a small smile.

"Your ten o'clock is waiting," the green haired man spoke. "Also your grandfather asked you to phone him and at twelve you have a meeting."

Laxus simply blinked at the man standing in front of him.

"And your coffee, just as you like it." Freed added, holding out the steaming mug full of dark liquid.

Taking the mug Laxus shot him a nod, "Thanks Freed." Before disappearing into his office only to be met with the stupid face of his father-in-law.

"Gildarts, you old fart. What brings you here?" the blonde questioned with a smirk as he walked to his chair, placing the mug on the desk.

"Laxus. Still an asshole, as usual." the older man greeted.

"How dare you insult your _favourite_ son-in-law like that." Laxus feigned a hurt expression, his hand placing over his heart.

Gildarts scoffed, "Favourite? Oh please, you're tolerable at least."

"I'll be sure to tell Cana you insulted her husband."

The older man huffed, knowing that his daughter will most likely scold him for insulting her husband, and possibly ignore him for the rest of the week. "Can we just get this over and done with? Seeing your face this early in the morning makes me wanna bring up my breakfast." Gildarts rolled his eyes, folding his arms across his chest.

"Likewise, go ahead. What is it?"

"I'm here to talk business about Macao Conbolt." Gildarts spoke, his tone turning more serious.

"Yeah, what about him?"

"Have you heard about his son, Simon?"

The blonde sat back in his chair, swaying back and forth as he racked his brain. "Yeah, wasn't he the one who got shot in town? His sister was with him, right?" The older man nodded his head, "Sad to hear about it." Laxus added.

"I have a feeling that his death was an assassination and have no doubts that his other children are under threat of being next. I suggested that he hires one of your guys to protect his son and daughter."

"Understandable. I'll find a suitor and inform you soon as."

Gildarts nodded before walking towards the door.

"Oh, and Gildarts?"

The man paused, turning back to face his son-in-law, only to receive a middle finger from the man.

"Asshole."

Laxus cackled as the old man slammed the door behind him, leaving the blonde in his office alone. Even though his wife was possibly going to scold him for his childish behaviour, it was worth it to see the look on the old man's face.

Taking a sip of his coffee, his laughter dying down, Laxus sat back in the chair as he thought of the possible candidates for the job he had just been informed about.

 _Natsu? Nah, knowing that idiot he'd probably set something on fire. Which reminds me I need to give him the bill for the damages to that restaurant._

 _Gajeel? No. Idiot number two was just as bad as idiot number one._

 _But there is that egotistical punk, the blonde one. What was his name? Steve? Or his emo punk friend, Roland was it? Hmm, I could send those assholes I guess, they're somewhat decent- ah, Sting and Rogue! That's their names. Eh, I was somewhat close._

Speaking of those idiots, where are they?

* * *

"ROGUE! LONG TIME NO SEE! FIGHT ME!"

"HE'S JUST GOT HERE! SHUT YOUR MOUTH FIRE CROTCH!"

"YOU SAY SOMETHING ICE PRINCESS?!"

"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!"

Rogue hadn't been back at work two minutes before Natsu and his assistant Gray had started arguing, which was undoubtedly going to lead into a fight.

To anyone else, this was be random. But at the Dragon Elite Agency this was just a typical day.

Rogue, Sting and Yukino watched the two men brawl on the floor, his blonde friend cheering on the pink haired man.

 _Some things never change._

"Sometimes I forget this isn't high school, and that they're both grown men." Yukino sighed.

"Fifty dollars on Natsu!" Sting grinned as he cheered on the fight.

"Oh Rogue you're ba- YOU TWO BETTER KNOCK IT OFF."

Two high pitched screams came from the two brawling men, who were now knocked out on the floor courtesy of the scarlet-haired woman, Erza.

Erza Scarlet - yes, her last name matched her fiery red hair _and_ her attitude - was the head of the weapons department, working alongside Bisca and her husband, Alzack Connell. She specialised in swords and other weapons whilst the couple focused more on guns and ammunition.

Needed a sharp weapon of death to get the job done effectively? Go to Erza Scarlet.

Sting let out a huff, crossing his arms over his chest. "Erza always ruins the fun." he mumbled only to earn a glare from the woman.

"What did you say?"

"I said your hair looks nice today!" the blonde squeaked out, hoping not to catch the same fate as the two men lying on the floor, down for the count. Taking Yukino's hand in his own Sting scurried off down the hall, shouting something about needing help with paperwork.

Erza's gaze stayed on Sting's retreating form just that bit longer before averting her eyes to his friend, "It's nice to have you back, Rogue."

"Thanks Erza."

The red head smiled, "Anyways I have to cut this short, but I thought I'd let you know that I sharpened and cleaned your katana whilst you were gone."

"Again, thanks. I'll come by later to pick it up."

"Okay, later." she waved before strolling off.

Rogue let out a sigh before stepping over the still unconscious bodies of Natsu and Gray before entering his office, shutting the door behind him.

Sitting behind his desk he relaxed into the chair, his body slouching as he took in his office.

It had been awhile since he was last here, three months exactly.

His boss, Makarov - before he retired and left his grandson, Laxus to take over - had put him on leave, concerned about the young man's state of mind after his last assignment. Not having a say in the matter, Rogue agreed and took the time off. Makarov referred the young man to therapy sessions with the company's psychologist Jellal Fernandes, to which he was still attending.

Jellal had cleared Rogue to return to work a week prior, however Sting and Yukino had caught him at a bad time, finding him losing himself in his own thoughts again, reflecting back on _that_ night.

Speaking of Jellal, Rogue was sure he had a session booked for today.

 _I'll message Jellal to check_ , he thought as he pulled his phone out of his suit jacket pocket. As Rogue typed out the message the sound of the door opening caused the dark haired man to lift his head, a body jumping onto his desk and instantly being smothered by a mass of blue hair, arms wrapping tightly around his neck.

"I told you he was here!" the soft voice spoke.

He only knew one other person who had such a soft spoken voice just like his mother.

Wendy.

"It's nice to see you too, sis." Rogue breathed out, his face turning a shade of red as her arms cut off his breathing supply.

"Jeez, shorty. Kill him on his first day back why don't you." another voice spoke followed with a laugh filled the room.

The blue haired woman let go of her brother, sending him a small smile as she looked down. "Sorry Rogue, I just missed you that's all."

"I missed you too." Rogue smiled at his younger sibling before turning to the other people in the room. "Nice to see you guys too." he greeted his older brother and his girlfriend.

"Hi Rogue, nice to have you back." Levy smiled as she walked over to him, embracing him with a hug.

"Great to be back, Levy." Rogue shot her a smile in return before turning his attention to his older brother. "Gajeel." he greeted him.

"Rogue. Glad to have you back, your boyfriend was getting angsty without you."

Rogue rolled his eyes at his brother, knowing his was referring to Sting.

Levy hit her partner on the arm, shooting him a glare. "Leave the guy alone, he's just returned and you're already poking fun at him and his friend."

Gajeel grumbled out something along the lines of sorry, Levy rolling her eyes at his half-assed apology.

"Sorry on behalf of him, he hasn't had his morning coffee yet." the short bluenette commented snidely, elbowing Gajeel in his side causing him to grumble even more.

Wendy's laughter filled the office, shaking her head at her brother's antics. "Moms been worried about you, we all have." she spoke after a few moments of silence between the siblings and their friend.

Rogue nodded, "Yeah, I guessed."

"You should probably go visit before she coddles you." Gajeel snorted, once again earning an elbow in the side from his girlfriend. "What?! Rogue was always her favourite.." he added with a huff.

"What your brother is trying to say is..." Levy shot the taller man a pointed look before turning back to his younger brother, "Call her. Tell her you're okay, and maybe come to the family dinner tonight."

"It'd be nice to have you there." Wendy added, a hopeful look in her eyes and her hands clasped together in front of her as she stared at Rogue.

She knows I can't say no to her, especially when she gives me that look, Rogue mused, a small smile appearing on his lips.

"Sure thing. I'll be there."

"Dammit! Now I'm gonna have to fight Rogue for the bread rolls."

Gajeel received yet another elbow.

"Knock it off, shrimp!"

"Oi!" a voice came from the door. All four of them looked to see Cana poking her head around the door. "Hey guys. Rogue - nice to have you back by the way - but lightning crotch wants to see you in his office, now."

"Does he know you call him that?" Levy questioned.

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him." the brunette smirked back.

* * *

"Yes...that's great. Thank you so much, Gildarts. I appreciate it. Tomorrow then? Alright, see you then." Macao Conbolt hung up the phone, a feeling of relief washing through him, lifting a weight off of his shoulders.

He finally had someone to protect his children, the only light in his life he had left.

Sitting on the bed he let out a tired sigh, glancing at the picture frame what sat on the bedside table. It was of him and Olivia with their three children, it was taken nine years ago, before his wife became ill.

It was taken on their family holiday they had annually, just them. No work getting in the way, just a family holiday to rekindle the bonds they may have lost through not socialising with one another as much, too busy with work and school.

It was from when they were at the restaurant, the one by the harbour. Their waiter asked if they wanted a photo taken to commemorate their holiday, the family agreeing.

One thing he noticed was the all of their expressions, _everybody was smiling_.

Picking up the photo, Macao inspected it further.

His three children; Simon's arm draped around his younger siblings shoulders holding them close, almost protectively. His younger brother and sister grinning, especially Kagura. Her face lit up, hazel eyes what resembled her mothers shining as bright as her smile. A smile he hadn't seen in a long time, wishing it was grace her face again, even if it was for one final time. Romeo, ever such the joker, pulling a face yet with a smile. He'd always been the comedic relief of the three of them.

Macao and his wife sat on either side of their children, proud smiles gracing their faces as they wasn't looking at the camera, too busy looking at the happiness what radiated off of their children.

 _If only we could all go back to that moment_ , he smile sadly, placing the photo back on the bedside.

"I swear Olivia, I'll do everything in my power to keep Kagura and Romeo safe from whoever is doing this. No matter what it takes."


	3. The Assignment

**Don't worry dear Rogura lovers, your fix will happen in the next chapter! Until then just enjoy this.**

* * *

Leaning his head against the window, Rogue gazed as he watched the scenery pass by as they drove through the town of Magnolia. They had been driving for the past half hour, noticing that they were driving out of town and heading into the city of Crocus.

Looking to the side he noticed Sting starting to get angsty from sitting in the car, shifting in his seat every few moments as he also looked out of the window.

"So where are we going?" the blonde asked from the backseat, his head peaking between the front seats as he looked between his boss, Laxus and his wife.

Laxus glared at the younger blonde, who instantly retreated his head back in fear of being punched in the face. "Dreyar." Cana warned, shooting her husband a glare. The man mumbling something incoherent under his breath. Sensing that he wasn't going to answer the younger blondes questions, Cana turned in her seat to face the two men in the backseat. "We're on our way to Macao Conbolt's estate, you'll be staying there."

"But why?" Sting questioned further.

The brunette frowned, confused at the man's questioning. Didn't Laxus brief them on their assignment?

Noticing her expression Rogue spoke up, "Laxus didn't tell us much, just told us to pack and be ready in the morning before he told us to leave his office."

"Of course he did." Cana sighed as she shot her husband yet another glare.

Laxus rolled his eyes as he kept his focus on the road. "Look I already had idiot number one to deal with yesterday, he wouldn't stop bothering me all morning until I found him an assignment. I also had to deal with my _stupid_ father-in-law and I had Erza on my ass for a good two hours talking about Jellal, I swear those two should just hurry up and fuck because I'm sick of hearing about it from the pair of them. And on top of all of that I didn't need the missing members of Fall Out Boy and the Backstreet Boy's hassling me for details, so I just gave them the file to read over - _which I know neither of them did_ \- and told them to be ready for the morning." he explained, receiving a punch in the arm from Cana when he insulted his in-law.

"You don't see me insulting your grandfather!"

"Because my grandfather isn't an asshole, unlike your father."

Cana sighed before turning her attention back to Sting and Rogue, "Anyway, your assignment is to protect Conbolt's two children." The brunette turned back around rummaging through her bag before pulling out a file, opening it and retrieving several pieces of paper. "Here, this is them." She added, handing the two men a photograph of the Mikazuchi-Conbolt children. "You'll be keeping his daughter Kagura and son Romeo safe until further notice, whilst Gildarts investigates the case more in depth."

"And what about the other sibling?" Rogue asked, gesturing to the taller male in the photograph.

"That's Simon, unfortunately he was killed a few months ago. Hence why you're being called on a protection job and why my father is investigating. He believes that Simon was assassinated and thinks that the other two may be in danger of being next."

"Understood, so a standard bodyguard duty then." Rogue nodded, relaxing in his seat as he handed Cana back the photograph. "Do you know how old they are?" he questioned.

"Kagura is twenty-two years old, Romeo is sixteen."

"Does he go to a school in the area?"

Cana nodded in reply, "A private school, about twenty minutes via car from their residence."

"Maybe it would be best if we suggested Romeo being home schooled." Sting added, looking at his partner.

Rogue nodded in agreement, "That would put him out of danger of being attacked during his commute to and from school."

"We'll discuss it with the father and son, then we'll ask Yukino to look up a tutor for him."

Cana smiled as the two men discussed, believing that Laxus had picked the right men for the job. Then again, they were the Twin Dragons of the Dragon Elite Agency; known for their tact and quick witted thinking, along with their effective strategy on the job.

The car slowed to a halt, Laxus putting on the handbrake, "We're here." he announced before instantly groaning, noticing who was standing outside the Conbolt home, leaning against his car.

"C'mon Laxus." Cana spoke as she and the two men got out of the car.

"But why is he here?" Laxus groaned, wanting nothing more than to hit his head against the steering wheel at the sight of his father-in-law.

"Get out." Cana spoke again, her voice more stern.

Something of a growl came from the tall blonde, who slammed the car door shut before stomping towards the front door. Cana holding in her laugh as her husband looked like a petulant child who was told that he couldn't have ice cream after dinner.

"Laxus-"

"Fuck off, old man."

* * *

"You got us what?" Kagura gritted out, unsure if she had heard her father's words correctly.

"Bodyguards." Macao repeated, gesturing to the two men who stood by the doorway before looking back at his children who were seated on the couch.

He had called his children into the lounge, upon walking in Romeo and Kagura noticed the four unfamiliar faces in the room, along with Gildarts Clive - from who they knew was a long time friend of their fathers - who stood at the back of the room away from everyone else, leaning up against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Bodyguards? Badass-", Romeo grinned.

"- _Stupid_." Kagura spoke, her voice overpowering her brothers.

Macao sighed at his daughters words, "Kagura it's for the best, it's for your safety."

"Safety?" she scoffed before looking at the two men who would be protecting her and her brother. "These two?" she questioned as she inspected them.

"What's wrong with them?"

"Well for one, the one with the dark hair looks like he belongs in a Panic at the Disco cover band, and don't get me started on the blonde one.."

Laxus had to hold back a laugh at the young woman insulting Sting and Rogue.

"What do you mean by that?!" Sting huffed, pouting slightly as he crossed his arms over his chest defensively.

"You look like you belong in some 90's boy band. What is that? Is that a crop top?!" Kagura asked, gesturing towards his outfit.

Cana bit her lip, looking down at her hands as Laxus covered up his laughter by coughing.

Sting opened his mouth to muster up a reply, but couldn't. Rogue just stared blankly at the young woman, seeming unfazed by her insults.

"Kagura, enough." Macao spoke sternly, shooting his daughter a look.

"But why? Why did it it take you this long to hire protection for us? Why didn't you do this months ago?!" Kagura questioned, her voice rising louder.

"You're father didn't know about the attacks.." Gildarts added, but his words fell on deaf ears.

"Millianna was under threat months ago, and you're telling me you don't remember me telling you about it? All of this could have been prevented if you would have just listened to me!"

Macao just stood there as he listened to his daughters words.

"But no, you ignored me. Told me it wasn't a big deal. Now look where we are now!"

"Kagura-"

"Simon's death could have been prevented if you would have just listened to me!" she shouted, the whole room falling silent at her outburst.

Kagura felt her whole body stiffen as she placed her hands over her mouth to stop any more words spilling from her mouth, her hazel eyes filling with tears what threatened to spill over as she stared at her father.

It was the first time she had ever spoke about her older brother or the incident.

Feeling a sob rack through her body, Kagura took quick steps to the door leaving the room.

Macao stood there, stunned at his daughters outburst before blinking several times. "I should probably go-"

"I'll go." Cana spoke, standing to her feet. "She probably needs a friend, the female kind." she shot the elder Conbolt a small smile before excusing herself out of the room, heading off to look for Kagura.

The room went quiet, all of them still trying to register what had just happened moments ago.

"I'm sorry about Kagura, she isn't.."

"It is understandable, especially in this situation. There is no need to apologise." Rogue spoke, cutting the man off.

Macao simply nodded before sighing, running his hand over his face. Feeling that weight what had left him last night return, his mind replaying his daughters words over and over again.

Gildarts walked over to his old friend, placing his hand on the man's shoulder in comfort. "I say we take a break and calm down, maybe continue this meeting in an hour, if that's alright with you Laxus?"

Laxus nodded his head, "Sure thing, no problem."

Gildarts shot his son-in-law a small smile before looking at Macao, "Why don't we get ourselves a drink, eh?"

Macao nodded, Gildarts guiding the man towards the kitchen leaving Romeo alone with Laxus and the Twin Dragons.

"So...that was eventful." Sting commented earning a glare from his friend and boss.

* * *

Walking around the garden of the Conbolt estate, Cana looked for the young woman who had took off after her outburst in the lounge.

The brunette could only sympathise with what Kagura had been through over the past few months, Laxus informing her the story on how her brother died and she had witnessed every moment of it.

It had to be traumatising for her.

Looking around the huge garden she noticed someone sitting up against a huge oak tree, near the pond. As she walked closer Cana noticed it was Kagura, the brunette stood a good distance away to give her space, yet close enough to converse with her.

"This place is beautiful, this is the type of home I want but my husband says he prefers the more urban life."

Kagura looked up at the woman, yet didn't reply.

"Then again I might convince him somehow..." Cana smiled, mentally plotting some way to convince Laxus to move to a place similar to this.

The dark haired woman continued her silence, the brunette walking a little closer. "Look Kagura, back in there.."

"I'm sorry."

"What? No. Don't apologise about it. There is no need to, especially after what you have been through. It's okay, you're still hurting over it." Cana spoke, leaning down on her knees in front of Kagura, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I didn't mean to just-" Kagura's voice broke as she felt the tears build up again.

"No, shh. It's okay, honey. No one is saying it was wrong of you for doing so." the brunette shook her head before pulling her into her arms for a hug.

Cana held the younger woman in her arms as sobs escaped Kagura again, several minutes passing before they finally died down.

"I can understand how you feel with losing a loved one, but not the way you have. But if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm always here. Sometimes you just need to talk to a woman, sometimes guys can be clueless, and it's useless talking to those idiots in there." Cana smirked, referring to Sting and Rogue. Reaching into her coat pocket she pulled out a card, "Here it has my phone number on it, whether you need a chat, get coffee or wanna go on a shopping trip. I'm here if you need me, alright?"

Kagura took the card between her fingers, examining it before nodding.

"Just know you're not alone, alright. And I know it seems a little too much to have bodyguards, but this is for your protection. Guaranteed your father could have called us earlier, but please don't blame him. But I promise you Sting and Rogue will do everything in their power to keep you and Romeo safe." Cana shot her a smile.

Wiping the tears what stained her cheeks, Kagura nodded causing Cana's smile to widen. "Now let's go pretty lady, I'm sure your father and brother are worried about you."


	4. A Little Advice

**Apologies for how late this is, I was suppose to have this done some time last week however it took me forever to even write this out again. However, I'm happier with this version of the chapter than the previous one what was posted. Plus this includes some minor Rogura interaction! Wahoo! Also my inner gaming nerd appeared during this chapter also, so there are hints of that in here. Writing up chapter five now so I'm hoping to have that up by the weekend. So without further or do, enjoy the new version of chapter four!**

* * *

It had been an entire week since Rogue and Sting were assigned their new job to protect Macao Conbolt's two children.

The two would take turns each day, switching between the two children; Sting watching over Kagura whilst Rogue took Romeo, and vice versa.

There was nothing out of the ordinary, the week passing by quite fast.

The Mikazuchi-Conbolt children had quite a boring week - that was more Romeo's opinion, Kagura spent most of her time in the library which in turn made Sting and Rogue's job quite simple.

She still hadn't said much to either of the Twin Dragons, other than muttering something of an apology to Sting for her insults towards his sense of fashion. He accepted her unwanted criticism, somewhat agreeing that crop tops were rather outdated before later that night throwing the offending garment in the bin.

Sting was just waiting for the day Kagura insulted Rogue's sense of style, so he'd finally throw out that cape he always wore. It's not that the item of clothing was horrible looking, if anything it looked rather good on the dark haired agent, but Sting just didn't want to be the one with his pride and ego wounded by the dark haired female and her sharp tongued insults.

The twin dragons had also spoken with Macao about Romeo being homeschooled to which he agreed on, Rogue making the call to Yukino to find them a private tutor for the young Mikazuchi-Conbolt as well as informing the school that he wouldn't be attending until further notice.

Yukino had called back not long after Rogue had asked her to find a suitable tutor, saying that she had found someone. Ultear Milkovich, private tutor and just so happened to be a close friend of the DEA's psychologist, Jellal Fernandes. Turns out Jellal was around Yukino when she was searching for a tutor and he had given his recommendation of Ultear.

She would be coming around Monday to start Romeo's lessons.

But right now it was just another day, and for Kagura it meant sitting in the library reading, hoping to finish this mystery novel by the end of the day. That was until she was interrupted by her friend, Millianna who was persistent to get the dark haired woman out of the house.

"Come on, Kagura. You haven't been out in ages! It's time for you to have some fun." Millianna whined as she stood in front of her friend who was sat in the armchair and completely ignoring the girls presence, her attention not breaking from the book.

Not looking up from her book Kagura shook her head, "I'm good, thank you."

"Aw c'mon! Lucy and Mira are dying to see you-"

"They know where I live, surely they could drop by anytime." Kagura answered simply.

The brunette rolled her eyes at her friend's words, "Why are you making this so difficult?" she sighed slumping into the armchair opposite Kagura.

"I'm not."

"But Kagura-"

"Look Millianna, I appreciate what you're trying to do. I honestly do." Kagura started, placing her book down on her lap to look at her friend. "But as of right now I don't have any intentions of leaving the house, and if anyone needs me they know where to find me. Simple as that, okay?" she added, her voice clear and stern.

The woman cast her eyes downwards nodding her head curtly, "Right, I understand. Sorry for wasting your time." Millianna stood before making her way out of the library, passing Macao, Romeo and two men she didn't recognise.

"Ah, Millianna. Leaving so soon?" Macao questioned, head tilting to the side slightly as he frowned.

Millianna shuffled her feet against the wooden flooring as her gaze averted from her friends father, "I feel coming here was a mistake." she replied, her voice quieter than her usual cheery upbeat tone.

The senior Conbolt shot the young woman a tight lipped smile, feeling somewhat sorry for the girl however he knew that his daughter wouldn't say yes to stepping out of the house, she hasn't done so for three months now. "It wasn't at all, Millianna. You tried, but she just needs more time. I understand you're worried about her, we all are. But like Wakaba said to Romeo, we all deal with grief in different ways, it will just take some patience with Kagura."

The brunette nodded in understanding, wiping the tears away what we're slowly sliding down her cheeks. "I know, I just-"

"Miss her," he cut her off, "We all miss her."

Millianna let out a sigh, shooting him a somewhat of a smile. "I'm gonna go, I'll see you later Mr Conbolt, bye Romeo." she sent them a small wave before heading off, the sound of the front door opening and closing.

Macao sighed as he mumbled his daughters name under his breath before excusing himself from the company of his son and two bodyguards, making his way down to his office.

Sting and Rogue exchanged looks before the sound of Romeo sighing caused the Twin Dragons to turn their attention to him. "Don't worry buddy, everything will be okay." Sting shot the teenager a reassuring smile.

Romeo nodded, his gaze locked on the doors to the library where his sister was sitting. "I just wish..." he started only to cut himself off, his voice cracking. Feeling the unshed tears he had been holding in for so long threatening to flow. Closing his eyes he breathed deeply, trying to regain his composure.

Rogue caught Sting's eye, motioning with his head to take him somewhere else to get his mind off of whatever it is bothering him, which he knew was his sister.

Shooting his partner a nod Sting placed a hand on the younger Conbolt's shoulder, "Hey Romeo, how about we go play some video games, eh?"

Opening his eyes to look at the blonde man, Romeo nodded in reply, not trusting his voice right now. Sting guided him up the stairs to his bedroom, leaving Rogue alone standing outside of the library of the Conbolt estate. Pushing the door open he walked in, sitting down in the chair opposite Kagura.

The dark haired girl let out a sigh, "Look Millianna, I told you once and I'm not going to tell you aga-"

"I'm not your friend."

Kagura looked up to see Rogue sitting across from her, staring at him blankly before returning her attention to reading her book.

They both sat there in silence, Kagura focused on her book as Rogue looked around the large room filled with rows and rows of shelves what housed books, knowing that Levy would have a field day in a place like this. A small smile tugging at his lips as he imagined her running around, taking in the sight with a look of awe on her face before he turned his attention back to the woman sitting in front of him.

She looked relaxed, Rogue noting that the only time she looked somewhat at ease was when she was in here. Her legs were draped over the chairs arm, her head resting on the back of the chair as she read silently.

Kagura could feel his eyes on her, shifting her gaze to catch his eye, confirming that he indeed was staring at her before turning it back to her book.

"You know your friend was rather upset as she left." he finally spoke, breaking the silence between them.

The dark haired woman let out a sigh, "Millianna has always been somewhat over sensitive, she'll get over it."

Rogue frowned at her words, feeling she was being rather rude and inconsiderate about her friend's feelings. He understood that she was in a time of grieving, yet didn't quite understand why she was being so harsh to those around her.

Unless she was...scared? Scared of losing anybody else.

"You know pushing them away won't help you, the same goes for your father and brother."

Her jaw clenched at his words, her hazel eyes looking up at him with a glare. "I don't feel you have the right to be commenting on this." Kagura replied snidely.

"Look, I'm not here to tell you how to behave-"

"Then don't, you're not my father. Besides, you don't even know me."

Rogue nodded his head, "Correct, I may not know you. But grief? I have felt it. I have an understanding of what you're going through, and let me tell you from experience that pushing the ones you love away isn't the answer." he spoke, his voice clear.

Kagura's face faltered before returning to her stern expression as he stood from his seat, making his way over to the door.

Rogue halted as he pulled the door open, looking back at the daughter of Macao Conbolt. "Perhaps you should consider talking to your family, it may reassure them of their worry over you that they keep locked inside. It may help you a great deal, also." he spoke before leaving.

Kagura's body slumped further into the armchair as she took in Rogue's words, her hardened expression softening as she let out a sigh.

* * *

Romeo and Sting sat on the oversized cushions in front of the television in his bedroom, eyes focused on the screen as they played video games, Mortal Kombat more specifically.

Romeo had just caught Sting with a fatality as Rogue entered the room, smirking at his partner who crossed his arms over his chest with a huff. "You lost again? How many times does that make it now? Ten times, was it?" Rogue smirked, mocking his friends losing streak as he sat down beside the two.

Sting glared at his dark haired friend, Romeo laughing at the two men. "How about a game, Rogue?" the teenager asked.

"Sure thing, I have to warn you though...my Takeda is pretty brutal." he nodded, taking the game pad from Sting as he chose his character.

"Oh please, Sub Zero will destroy you and your petty Takeda." Romeo smirked.

Rogue raised a brow at the teens confident words, "We'll see about that."

Fifteen minutes later and several rounds of Takeda vs Sub Zero alongside Sting proving commentary, Rogue came out victor in all of them. Romeo hung his head in defeat before shaking the dark haired man's hand in respect. "Never seen such a skilled Takeda, take it you play regularly?" Romeo questioned.

"When I get the time to, I'm quite an avid gamer." he replied.

"What games are you into?"

"I'm prone to a first-person shooter game now and again, but I grew up mostly playing fighting games so they're my favourite. You ever played Bloody Roar?" Rogue asked.

Romeo's eyes lit up as he nodded frantically, "I love that game! It's also one of Kagura's favourites." his voice quietened as he mentioned his sister, a frown appearing on his face.

The Twin Dragons took note of his expression, looking at one another before the teenager. "Does she love playing video games too?" Sting questioned.

Romeo nodded in reply, his hand gripping the controller. "Yeah, she's one of the best players I know. Kagura got me into video gaming, the first game she got me into was Dead or Alive. She's so awesome at that game, she pretty much destroys anybody when she picks Hayate as her character." he laughed lowly. "Simon used to tell us off for playing too much, but he'd eventually get roped into playing also. We'd all sit there for hours and just have fun." Romeo added, smiling as the memories replayed in his mind.

Sting smiled as the younger Mikazuchi-Conbolt child, "Sounds like a blast. You three must of had one heck of a time together."

"We did, I just hope one day...maybe me and Kagura could do that someday. It would be nice to be able to spend some time with her." Romeo spoke, his voice filled with hope that one day it might happen.

"Give it time, besides I wanna fight her after that comment she made on my crop tops." Sting replied, clenching his hand into a fist.

"Still hung up over that, buddy?" Rogue smirked.

"Shut it! I can't wait for the day she insults you, and your ego is wounded."

"I mean, she did have a point. What guy wear crop tops these days?" Romeo questioned making Rogue break out into laugher.

"That's it, rematch time! And this time I will destroy you!" the blonde huffed as he snatched the game pad from Rogue's hand.

* * *

Leaning up against the wall across from Romeo's door, Kagura let out a sigh as she heard Romeo reminisce with Sting and Rogue.

A small smile graced her face when she heard him talk about the old days when her, Romeo and Simon would sit and play video games for hours on end.

She was glad that Romeo had someone to talk to besides he friends, even if they were suppose to be bodyguards, it wouldn't hurt for him to make new friends. But part of her wanted nothing more but to sit down and join them, however she decided not to, especially after her brief encounter with Rogue.

Admittedly she was rather harsh towards him, knowing that he probably was just trying to help.

Kagura noted to apologise to him when he was alone next time.

Leaning off of the wall Kagura made her way to her bedroom, picking up her phone off of the bed before making her way to her desk. Grabbing the card the brunette had given her a week ago, she dialled the number.

"Hel-GRAY I SWEAR IF YOU DON'T PUT YOUR CLOTHES BACK ON I'LL HAVE YOU DONE FOR PUBLIC INDECENCY! I'm so sorry, hello?" Kagura heard the familiar voice speak through the phone, wincing when she shouted.

"Hey, Cana? It's Kagura."

"Oh hi, I was wondering when you were gonna call. What's up?" the brunette asked.

"I think I need a day out, and was wondering if you're free-"

"Oh of course I'm free. How does shopping sound?" Cana suggested.

"Sounds great." Kagura nodded.

"Fantastic! I'll pick you up tomorrow at eleven."

Kagura nodded before the two said their goodbyes, hanging up not long after. The dark haired woman stared at her phone before smiling to herself, actually looking forward to her planned outing with Cana tomorrow.


	5. Finding The Old You

**Took like three rewrites because I wasn't happy with it. I'm somewhat happy with this version, nonetheless here it finally is!**

* * *

Sitting on her bed Kagura pulled on her boots before walking over to the mirror, giving herself a once over before nodding. Her outfit wasn't anything special, just a simple white dress with a sweetheart neckline, aswell as a leather jacket. Her make-up had been kept to her usual, with just eyeliner and mascara to finish the look off.

Admittedly for her it felt good to be somewhat dressed up, even though these were her usual clothes. With it being a few months since she had left the house, Kagura often stuck to a simple t-shirt and loose bottoms to lounge around the house in, not seeing any point of even making any form of effort in her appearance. But seeing as she was going out she decided to make the effort, even leaving her hair down from its usual messy bun she usually had, along with her white ribbon tied into a bow resting where her fringe started.

Glancing at her phone screen, Kagura checked the time. Cana was due to arrive in fifteen minutes.

With one more once over checking that she looked okay, Kagura nodded before grabbing her bag and phone before making her way downstairs.

"What do you mean James Bond is better?! Have you seen me?" an obnoxious voice belonging to a certain blonde bodyguard echoed through the hallway, Kagura refraining from rolling her eyes at the loudness of his voice.

Following the speaking and laughter, she found her father and brother alongside the two bodyguards lounging around in the kitchen. Leaning against the doorway, she kept quiet as she watched them interact.

"But it's James Bond, he's like the coolest agent ever made! Of course he's cooler than you." Romeo countered, rubbing more salt into Sting's proverbial wounds.

"I was always more of a Ethan Hunt guy myself." Macao added as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

Sting let out a huff of breath, "Oh please, I'm like Hunt and Bond combined. I am greatness."

"If that's what you think." Rogue commented snidely as he sent his friend a smirk, taking a drink from his mug as he lifted his gaze from his laptop. "It's nice to see you still keeping the dream alive, Sting." he added.

"I don't appreciate your tone." the blonde fired back, crossing his arms over his chest defensively.

Macao and Romeo laughed at the banter between the two agents, the older Conbolt shaking his head in humour. He lifted his cup of coffee to his lips, only to pause midway when his gaze moved to his daughter who was standing in the doorway.

He had to blink several times to make sure he wasn't just imagining anything, that she was actually standing there.

"Kagura." he greeted her, his voice underlying a questioning tone.

The three men paused in their laughter to look at the young woman in the doorway, Kagura's gaze instantly averting to the floor, clasping her hands in front of her at the unwanted attention. Then again, she never really did appear in any rooms any of them occupied, often secluding herself in the library or her bedroom.

"Morning dad." she greeted him back after a few seconds of silence passed, making her way to the fridge to pull out a bottle of water, not noticing Macao's almost floored expression.

She called him 'dad'.

Kagura had finally called him dad after months of not uttering more than simple yes or no's to him when he attempted to engage in conversation with her. Yet here she was, in the kitchen where everyone was and she had said greeted him. Macao's face lit up as a smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he watched his daughter sit at the table beside Romeo, also greeting him with a 'good morning' as well.

Macao also noticed the slight widening of his sons eyes at his sister's actions, before a wide smile broke out on his face as he returned the greeting.

Granted it didn't seem like much, but to Macao this was a huge step for Kagura finally inserting herself back into the family. It may have been a small gesture, but it made all the difference to him and gave him that glimmer of hope that maybe this was their road to getting back to a world of normalcy in the house.

"You look nice, going anywhere special?" Macao asked as he placed his empty mug in the sink before directing his attention to his daughter.

Kagura nodded as she took a sip of water, "Yeah, Cana is taking me out shopping today."

The older Conbolt's face faltered into a frown upon her reply, "Where are you going?" he questioned further.

"I don't know, Crocus maybe?" she shrugged in reply.

He simply nodded in return, yet the worried expression never left his face. Macao somewhat hoped that she wasn't going to be anywhere in Magnolia, not after what had happened in that town. The doorbell ringing broke him out of his thoughts, making his way into the foyer to open the door.

"Cana, nice to see you again. Here for Kagura?" he greeted the brunette with a smile, stepping aside to let her through.

"Morning Macao, yes is she ready?"

Macao nodded, "We're all in the kitchen, come on through." he gestured her to follow him, both of them making their way through to the kitchen. "Kagura told me you're taking her shopping.." the older Conbolt started.

"Yeah, thought it might be good to get her out the house."

"You're not taking her to-"

"Nope, I already know to steer clear away from Magnolia. I wouldn't dare take her there, Macao. You have nothing to worry about, I'm taking her into Crocus." Cana reassured him with a smile.

"Hey Cana!" Sting greeted her with a smile as the two walked in. Rogue looked up from his computer screen to shoot her a small salute.

"Hey boys." she smiled back at them before turning to look at Macao, "They haven't been any trouble, have they?" she asked.

The twin dragon's shot the brunette a feigned look of hurt, "What are you insinuating?!" the blonde questioned, his voice raising only to get a smack to the back of the head from his friend for being too loud.

"Eh, I know you two. You may be good but sometimes you two can cause more harm then good..." Cana shot them a pointed look, hands propped on her hips as she smirked.

"I feel insulted that you'd even say such a thing." Rogue shot back with a smirk of his own, "And for your information it's Sting who mostly gets into trouble. I'm just there to drag his ass out of it."

Macao and Romeo burst out laughing as Sting glared at his so-called partner. The brunette rolled her eyes before glancing at Kagura, "Ready to go?"

The dark haired woman nodded, standing from her seat as she grabbed her bag.

Cana looked at Rogue, "Please tell me you're on guard with Kagura today." she assumed, mentally praying that hopefully he would be coming along to accompany Kagura.

"Unfortunately, no." Rogue shot her a small smile. "I have to meet Jellal at midday, so Sting's going with you."

"Ugh, why." the brunette huffed, her head lolling back. She swore Mavis was out to get her, especially since the slightly more irritating of the Twin Dragon's would be coming along on their shopping trip.

"Oi! Don't be so rude!"

"Whatever, come on blondie!"

* * *

Kagura had half expected Sting to be the type of guy to be dragging his feet behind her and Cana as the two went in and out of stores, constantly moaning about how much time the two women spent browsing through the clothes, throwing comments like 'But that top was the same as the one in all the other shops? What's so different about that one?' or 'Can we go eat now?' along with making exasperated sounds.

However he wasn't.

Actually Sting had been quite helpful, offering to carry their shopping bags and giving them advice on what he thought when they tried the clothes on. Kagura was slightly unsure whether if to take advice from a man who wore a crop top the first time they were introduced, but Cana's input made her trust his judgement even more.

Maybe he does have some sense of fashion when he _actually_ tries.

Kagura had then proceeded to ask him where he got his knowledge from, Sting telling her that Yukino would often talk about clothes and such, his assistant rambling on about the latest trends.

Although he may have been half listening, his mind seemed to keep the information stored inside his brain.

That and he may have a e-mail subscription to a blog for all the latest fashion trends. He had begged her to keep it between the two of them, knowing that if Rogue found out he'd rib him about it for the rest of his life.

They were currently sitting outside of a restaurant in the centre of Crocus, Cana sending Sting to sit by himself at another table as she wanted some 'girl talk' with Kagura. The blonde obliged, muttering something about not wanting to eavesdrop on them comparing their menstrual cycles only to earn glares from both women instantly making him run to a free table a couple feet away.

This is why Cana wanted to bring Rogue, she wouldn't get none of this stupidity from him.

"Sorry about him, I hope he hasn't been much trouble for you." Cana shot her an apologetic smile as she sipped her water.

Kagura shrugged glancing briefly over towards Sting before looking back at the brunette, "I wouldn't know, can't say I've spoken to him much."

"It's best not to engage in full length conversation with him. _'Don't wanna catch the stupid'_ is what our friend Gray always says about him," Cana laughed, "Then again he says that about Natsu too. So how have you been this past week?" she questioned as she picked up the menu, scanning through the main course options.

"Nothing much, finished a book I've been reading yesterday."

The brunette's brow raised. _Surely she's done more this week?_ "That's all?" she asked, receiving a nod of the head from Kagura. "Don't you go and see your friends or anything?" Cana questioned further.

Kagura shook her head as she messed with the edge of the napkin what was in front of her, "I don't go out much anymore." she mumbled, opting to leave out her brief speaking with Millianna.

Speaking of her friend, she should really phone her up and apologies for being cold towards her.

Cana's head tilted sidewards slightly, her hair falling over her shoulder. She felt somewhat sorry for the young woman, knowing how it feels to be in that kind of position of not wanting to go anywhere. She could understand Kagura's apprehension of not wanting to venture out after what had happened to her older brother and knowing that you have a target on your back as she had been through that also, yet at the same time it wasn't the right way to go about it.

"Kagura look, I understand you not wanting to go out and stuff." Cana spoke, only to have the dark haired woman sitting across from her raise her brow. She could tell what she was thinking almost instantly, _'how do you know how it feels?'_. "A couple years back I had the same happen to me, with my dad being apart of the police force he's made a few enemies in his career. A hit was placed on me, so my dad contacted the DEA to assign a bodyguard for me." the brunette started.

"Really?"

With a nod of her head Cana continued, "Granted it was one of the most scariest things in my life I've ever been through. But someone told me that I shouldn't live the rest of my life in fear." A small smile spread across Cana's lips as she thought back to the time a certain blonde told her those words. "And I'm glad I listened to them. I continued with my life, still saw my friends and went out partying. What I'm trying to say is don't let this whole thing stop you, you may be under protection but don't let it stop you doing the things you enjoy. You wanna go somewhere? Cool, that's no problem at all. Rogue or Sting will follow you, that's their job. You're a beautiful young woman, you should be exploring the world. I'm sure your father would want the same for you, just don't sit at home wasting the days away." the brunette added, shooting Kagura a reassuring smile and placing a comforting hand over her own.

Kagura sighed as she took in Cana's words, knowing that she was right.

It was nice to have someone to relate to, someone who knew the fear of being targeted, wanting nothing more than to stay in the comfort of your own home. But Cana is right, she couldn't live the rest of her life that way.

Before all of this happened Kagura was out of the house often, visiting friends and going out. She had the luxury of being able to go anywhere, anytime without a care in the world, being able to visit new places.

 _So why aren't you still doing that? Mom and Simon would hate to see you not making the most out of life._

"You know it's nice to have someone who understands." Kagura spoke, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

Cana's smile widened, somewhat touched by her words. "Hey, I told you from the day we met that I'm always here if you ever needed to talk. Just know that you're not alone in this, okay?"

"Thank you Cana, honestly. And thanks for today, I've really enjoyed it."

"I have too! Now I don't know about you but I've been eyeing this nice bottle of wine here." the brunette placed the menu down, gesturing towards the wine list. "How about we order a bottle with our lunch, my treat?"

Kagura smiled, "Sounds great."

"Atta girl." Cana winked before signalling over the waiter.

* * *

"So how's everything?" Jellal asked as he grabbed his notebook off of the table beside his seat, pulling the pen out as he opened to Rogue's notes.

"Fine." the Twin Dragon shrugged as he got comfortable in the seat across from the therapist.

Jellal shook his head amusedly at the simple reply, knowing that he was going to have to do some digging if he actually wanted viable answers from Rogue. It was nothing unusual for him, knowing that the dark haired man never was really one for details, yet he made the job harder.

"Heard you've been put on a new assignment..."

Rogue nodded.

"How is that going?" Jellal questioned.

Rogue let out a small sigh, "It's going fine, nothing special really. Just a standard bodyguard job."

The blue haired man nodded his head as he jotted down notes in his book, "How have you been sleeping lately? I know from our last session you said you had trouble sleeping."

The Twin Dragon let out a small chuckle, "Pretty much the same, I get about three hours. Glad I have this to keep me awake during the day." he spoke, gesturing towards the the cup of coffee he had in his hand before taking a sip.

"That's not exactly healthy, Rogue." Jellal frowned. "Have you considered maybe thinking about sleeping tablets, just to help you for the time being?" he questioned.

Rogue raised a brow, "Sleeping tablets? Jellal I'm on a job, can't exactly take them if I'm on a job twenty four hours a day."

"True, if you still have trouble falling asleep after your assignment ends maybe you should look into it, I'm sure Porlyursica could prescribe you with something to help your insomnia." Silence fell between the two men, Jellal's focus on writing notes down. "Haven't been drinking lately, have you?" he asked, glancing up at Rogue.

Rogue's head tilted to the side as he stared at Jellal, his crimson eyes narrowing slightly before he finally caught onto what he was being asked. _Of course Sting and Yukino told him_. Rolling his eyes, he let out a huff. "Look it was just..." he started.

"This is the third time, Rogue." Jellal countered.

"If you're trying to say I'm alcohol dependant, I'm not." Rogue spoke sternly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"That's not the case at all Rogue-"

"Then what are you insinuating? Look, I'm capable at doing my job if that's what the worry is. If I wasn't then you wouldn't have put in the notice of me coming back! So what is this really about, huh?"

Letting out a defeated sigh Jellal placed his book on the table beside him before rubbing the nape of his neck, his gaze cast downwards. "We're just worried about you Rogue, that's all. Me, Sting, Gajeel...even Laxus has expressed his concern for you." the blue haired man let out a small laugh as he recalled his boss talking to him, the blonde expressing his concern for the younger agent in his own awkward way. "Here at the DEA you know we're all family, and we just want to help you. We want to help you get back on track. Part of me fears that I cleared you too early to come back to work-"

"You didn't. I needed to come back to work to get my mind off of things." Rogue added.

Jellal nodded, lifting his gaze to look at the younger man. He noticed the small things lacking in the Twin Dragon such as he enthusiasm as well as his witty and sarcastic comments he would often throw about in jest.

Rogue looked over at Jellal, his face void of any expression. With a hollow laugh he shrugged his shoulders, "I'll be alright."

The therapist did nothing but nod his head, not knowing what else to say.

 _I hope so too_.


	6. Unexpected Apologies

**I know, this hasn't been updated in five months. Y'all can kick my ass later, okay? Okay. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

The fated day played continuously throughout her sleep, having her relive every single moment of it almost as a means of torture.

The sound the gun made as the trigger was pulled, how she was thrown to the floor in haste of her safety, to the bruises and grazes she suffered from a rough landing and her brothers weight crushing her as he used himself to shield her.

But none of that mounted up to the pain she felt when she watched her brothers life disappear before her very eyes.

Simon. _Her Simon_.

Once again Kagura was jolted from her sleep, plagued by her brother's death with a cold sweat and a sped-up heartbeat. She placed her palm on her chest as a means to calm herself, taking deep breaths only to then jerk her hand away from her body. Stretching out her hands she observed her palms.

Sometimes she could still see it. _The blood_. No matter how clean her hands were she felt they would always be stained with her brother's blood. She'd sometimes spend longer in the bathroom then needed be, washing her hands several times in a row, trying to scrub away the memory like a speck of dirt. But no matter how many times she did it, the blood _always_ seemed to remain. Not only that but so did the smell. It smelt rancid, like metal wearing away due to rust. It made her feel sick. Kagura constantly carried around a small bottle of hand sanitiser, just to get rid of the smell what seemed to linger on her palms.

Grabbing the small bottle off of the side of the bedside table, she squirted a considerable amount of the antiseptic liquid in her palm before rubbing her hands together. She let out a heaved sigh, knowing that tonight's ideals of sleep had been lost.

Throwing the duvet off of her, she stood from the bed and made her way to the door. If it was going to be a night of no sleep, she thought she may as well go do something productive. Firstly, go take a shower. Maybe finish alphabetising the books in the library, something she started a couple weeks back. Granted, it wasn't fun to do but she didn't find much fun out of most the things she used to enjoy these days. She thought it would be better to bore herself until she felt tired, and then sleep.

Sure, her sleeping pattern had gotten messed up due to it, but she didn't care as long as she could rest somewhat peacefully for a couple hours. However, first she decided to go get herself something to eat before showering and starting on the book organising.

Her footsteps were careful and quiet as she made her way down the stairs, weary of not to be too loud to disturb her father or Romeo who were sleeping, knowing they had work and school in the morning. She knew her brother was being home schooled from now on, but she still had some consideration for his sleep. That and it was around two in the morning, normal people were sleeping right now.

Noticing the kitchen light on Kagura peered around the corner, yet no one was in there, except the laptop and mug what had been left on the counter. She peered in further, in case she hadn't realised someone was in there, yet still nothing.

"Looking for someone?"

Kagura jumped, swiftly turning around to meet Rogue, her hand resting on her chest as she glared up at him. "Trying to give me a heart attack?" she huffed, pouting slightly.

Rogue simply raised a brow at her comment, seemingly unfazed by her attitude. He had already engaged in conversation with the woman, and quite frankly didn't like how hostile she was towards not only him, but seemingly to her friend, who had left the house looking upset after speaking with Kagura. He didn't want to be yet the victim once again to her tongue lashing. When he was in charge of watching over her for the day, the two didn't speak at all. He had no intentions to, unless she needed to go anywhere, which she didn't. The furthest she went was outside, mainly to sit under the tree next to the pond. He looked forward to the days he was watching over Romeo, deeming him the more social of the two siblings. Granted, he took in consideration the family situation, not too long ago losing their brother, but Kagura was mystery in itself.

His face remained stoic as he brushed passed her to get into the kitchen, making his way back over to the barstool and continuing with his work. Kagura soon followed, moving to the oven, cutting herself a slice of lasagne which her father had cooked earlier. She didn't eat with them earlier, once again. After warming it up she sat across from Rogue, fork idly playing with her food as she frowned, silently at war with herself. She took a couple forkfuls of the food, pulling a slightly dissatisfied face at the bland taste.

Her step father's cooking was never all that good.

He had only started cooking for the family because Kagura didn't do it anymore, and it wasn't one of his strong points. Sure, he could of bought in a personal chef, it did spring to Macao's mind however he decided to try and hand at cooking himself. Olivia had used to cook for the family all the time, it was one of her favourite things to do. Kagura soon took interest and picked up her mothers hobby as her own, always found helping her mother out in the kitchen.

When Olivia passed, Kagura took over. She was the only one who could cook just like her mother. It was a comfort for the whole family and a form of lifeline for the woman who had lost her mother, one thing what solidified her bond with her mother even more.

However what bothered her wasn't her father's somewhat barely passable cooking, it was in fact the man who sat across from her.

It bothered her the way he looked at her as he shuffled past her, he simply could have told her to politely move out of the way but no, he didn't. Instead he brushed past her as he stared at her, looking her blank in the eye. His eyes felt judgemental. His stare wasn't good, if anything he looked like he was annoyed with her presence. Then again, the first time she met him wasn't exactly the best first impression anyone could give, that and she had insulted him and his co-worker whilst they were present. And then there was their less than pleasant conversation in the library, Kagura not only shunning her best friend out but him also.

She could almost hear her mother scolding her for acting such a way.

Her behaviour and attitude gave him nothing but ammunition to view her as a petty, bitter woman who liked to isolate herself from others. She somewhat was jealous of Romeo, having already befriended the two men, then again that was just his personality. People just seemed to flock to the young Conbolt, his charisma and charming smile made it easy for him to make friends. Out of the three siblings Kagura was the least confident. She wasn't shy by any means, but she found the first social interactions with people somewhat awkward however when that phase passed, her radiance would shine through. Her brothers had always been the more confident ones, especially Romeo. Whenever she would walk past his room she would always overhear him playing video games with either guard, conversation flowing between them like he had known them for years.

Looking up from the screen of his laptop Rogue noted the expression on the young woman's face, a frown prominent in her brow as she stabbed at the pasta dish, almost like it had offended her and she was taking revenge. "Are you okay?" he asked, causing her to halt her pasta stabbing as her eyes went wide as she glanced up at him.

He _finally_ spoke to her, he had _finally_ said a sentence to her.

Kagura blinked like a deer caught in the headlights, her back straight as she stared back at him. His expression remained neutral, if anything he looked bored. Almost like he didn't even want to be here. Then again, he always looked like that. _Talk about resting bitch face._

Her mouth opened, yet no words came out. The words she had wanted to utter to him ever since he had spoke to her back in the library. She was wrong in snapping at him like she did, and wanted to apologise. However when it came to it, the words seemed to get stuck in the back of her throat.

Kagura Mikazuchi wasn't one for saying sorry often, in fact it was always the other way around; people always apologised to her. She was always in the right. But it seemed as if she had been the one in the wrong, and for the first time in what seemed like forever, she had to say those two words.

"I'm sorry."

Rogue blinked, "What?"

The woman gritted her teeth, "I'm _not_ saying it again, I know you heard me." And here comes the hostile attitude once again. Kagura took a deep breath, averting her eyes back to her food, avoiding his stare. "For the other day, you didn't deserve the way I spoke to you." she added, going back to stabbing at the lasagne.

Brow raised Rogue looked at her intently. She did seem sincere about her apology, if not somewhat ashamed at how she had acted. It must have bothered her a big deal if she had come to say sorry to him, he believes this is the first time he's seen her approach either him or Sting willingly and engaged in conversation. Well, this was somewhat of a breakthrough. He was surprised, yet kept his face indifferent. "It's fine." he replied simply.

 _It's fine._

She was an asshole to him and all he had to say was _'it's fine'_.

"Admittedly, I didn't expect you to apologise." he spoke again, picking up his mug as he took a sip of coffee. "I assume the bad terms you left off with your friend were getting to you, hence your apology."

Kagura nodded, "But it wasn't just that. I felt bad for speaking to you the way I did. You were just trying to help."

"Like I said before, it's fine. You're going through a rough time. People deal with it in their own ways. Just don't let it consume you."

She duly noted his advice, fork still prodding at the lasagne her father had made. There was no way she could finish this tasteless dish.

"If you're planning on finishing it, I suggest putting some ketchup or some form of condiment on it to make it go down easier." Rogue quipped, a hint of amusement on his face as a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. He had some of Macao's food earlier, and had to use about half a bottle of ketchup and several glasses of water just to let it slide down. It wasn't that it was bad, and he'd have felt bad if he didn't accept and eat the man's cooking. It just tasted of nothing.

So he doesn't have a constant _'don't talk to me, or I will destroy you'_ face after all.

Granted it wasn't much of a smile, but Kagura took notice of it. How it lit up his face, how his eyes sparkled with amusement. It looked good on him, it made her wonder what he would look like with a full-blown grin on those lips.

"Thanks for the advice, but I think I'll pass on this one." Kagura replied, pushing the plate to one side. She thought about enrolling her father in cooking classes, either that or she would have to start taking over in the kitchen.

* * *

The week passed by quickly, Monday rolled back around, which meant Romeo was in his second week of home schooling. Ultear, or Miss Milkovich as she preferred to go by, was _always_ dead on time at nine in the morning. Schooling was currently in session, the two using the dining room as a makeshift classroom. The woman had even bought along a portable projector to use, talk about going the extra mile. It had surprised Macao just how overly prepared this woman was, yet it gave him confidence that he had chosen the best thing for his son.

Sting did accompany Romeo in the dining room last week, however he made some form of inappropriate comment towards Ultear's outfit and ended up getting thrown out and a threat of 'Jellal will hear about this' what made the blonde shudder at the thought.

The man may be the company's psychologist but he was terrifying when needed be.

Rogue simply rolled his eyes and smacked his idiotic best friend upside the head before apologising on the blondes behalf, knowing that Ultear wasn't a woman to be messed with. She had a wooden metre ruler and he assumed she would know how to use it as a weapon if needed be. That and he didn't want to be escorting Sting to the Emergency room to have the foreign object removed from up his backside.

Recently things in the house had taken somewhat of a more relaxed feeling, especially when Kagura was around.

Although she still wasn't present during breakfast and dinner, in which Macao was still upset about, she did however make more of an effort to be around her step-dad and brother. Rogue had taken notice of her sudden somewhat change-of-heart, noting that the woman now took part in conversations with her family, himself and Sting. Maybe it was their talk in the kitchen awhile back what suddenly clicked for her. Whatever it was, he was glad. Granted, they were either short, but informative sentences or sounds of distaste, but it was _something_. And that something gave Macao and Romeo that glimmer of hope that somewhere, their Kagura was slowly on her way back.

However, currently Macao was accompanied in his office by not only the two agents assigned to his children. Gildarts and Laxus also joined them not too long ago, the older Conbolt calling them for some form of 'meeting'. Laxus' wife, Cana also tagged along, however chose to spend her time with Kagura, the two women occupying the kitchen to catch up with one another, it being awhile since the two had spoken.

"Gildarts I'm sure you're aware, but the charity gala is coming up soon." Macao stated, glancing at the red haired man who decided to distance himself from the other men, leaning up against the wall in the corner of the room by the window.

Laxus made an exasperated sound at the mention of the upcoming event, knowing that he was going to get dragged along into attending. The charity gala was all of the high ranking businesses coming together for one night to raise money for chosen charities. That and a chance for the bigwigs to flaunt their expenses and throw around the cash like it was nothing. His grandfather, Makarov always insisted for him to go and make contacts, spreading word of the DEA and their services. Plus Cana always liked to attend fancy do's such as this, as it was an excuse to buy an expensive dress, don her ridiculously high heels, and have her hair and make-up done professionally. That and it was always an open bar.

"Of course I am, I'm rather looking forward to it. I already have my tuxedo picked out."

"Do you have your underwear picked out too, old man?" Laxus smirked, knowing fully well that he had already pissed off his in-law by the scowl on his face.

"Shut up, asshole."

Rogue shifted awkwardly on his feet as Sting had an amused look on his face at the exchange between their boss and his father-in-law.

"Anyway," Macao coughed, "After the recent events my family has undergone, I am somewhat concerned about my children's safety."

"That's understandable." Gildarts nodded, agreeing with his old friend. "I'm sure Starsky and Hutch over there could think of a few things to ease your worries, eh guys?" the older man glanced at the two agents.

Too busy still internally laughing at Laxus' remark from earlier Sting blinked, confused as to why all three men were suddenly staring at him and Rogue. "Uh..."

"Your worries as Mr Clive said are understandable. I would suggest, and my friend would agree..." Rogue glanced at Sting sternly, mentally scolding him for not paying attention. "That it be possible that our own personal surveillance team watched over the event, if that was somehow possible. I suggest getting in contact with the proprietor of the venue."

Macao leaned back in his seat, his head nodding. He knew it wouldn't be a problem, knowing the man who owned the venue the charity event was set to be held. "I believe so, I assume they're the best?" he questioned.

"I've put my faith in them several times, they've never failed me. I assure you they won't let anything past their watchful eyes." Rogue confirmed, glancing at Laxus briefly, who gave him an approving nod.

 _Good job, kid. Smart move._ Gildarts smiled to himself, also approving of the suggestion from one half of the Twin Dragons from the DEA.

"Also may I suggest having more back up, as in more agents from the DEA attend the event also. Just for that extra bit of security, with such a high class event I don't think just the two of us would cut it." Sting added causing Laxus and Gildarts to look at him in surprise.

 _Didn't expect that from you blondie_ , Laxus smirked, _good job._

The apprehension about the upcoming event seemed to settle in the back of Macao Conbolt's mind, knowing and trusting the two men to look over the event for any potential threats to his two children, or anyone else attending the gala. "So it's settled," he nodded, letting out a deep breath, his body relaxing. "I'm assuming I'll be seeing you there too, right Laxus?"

"Hn."

"Better hurry up and find that pretty dress, Dreyar. Don't want to disappoint." Gildarts cackled, only to receive a punch in the gut, winding him, curtesy of Laxus.

"Fuck off, you old fart."


End file.
